Jon Bon Jovi Earned $180 for First Recording on ‘Star Wars’ Christmas Album

Jon Bon Jovi posted his first music contract on Instagram on Dec. 9. He made just $180 for his debut recording on a Star Wars holiday album in 1980. The contract came from producer Meco Monardo and was tied to Christmas in the Stars. He had to give up all royalty rights.

According to People, Jon Bon Jovi said, "First ever contract back in 1980, always fun finding these ... No doubt it's online somewhere." Christmas in the Stars featured C-3PO actor Anthony Daniels as narrator and singer. The rock star sang on "R2-D2 We Wish You a Merry Christmas." This marked his first professional recording.

The musician explained how this happened on Jimmy Kimmel Live in April 2024. "I was a gopher in a recording studio from the fall of 1980 until '83, when we did the first record," he told the show.

He continued, "There was a guy named Meco Monardo, who was doing these kind of tribute records taking advantage of the Star Wars craze, he was pretending to be a young boy singing the song. It sounded like an old man pretending to be a young boy, and he says, 'Young boy, can you sing?' And I said, 'That's what you know... yeah, I think I can. He says, 'Go in there, and if you want to do this, it pays $180,' and I got $180 to sing."

The singer worked at Power Station Studios in Manhattan. His cousin, Tony Bongiovi, co-owned it. Producer Meco approached him one day while he swept floors and ran errands at the facility.

His breakthrough came later with "Runaway," which became the band's first top 40 song. The rocker hand-delivered the track to a DJ on cassette, launching his career. Bon Jovi has sold over 130 million albums since forming the band in 1983. The group released its 16th studio album in 2024, more than 40 years after that first recording session.